Liga BBVA Preview: Barcelona vs Granada

By Juan Pablo Aravena

Barcelona win tactical gameplan in El Clasico

After the long international break that meant the end of the World Cup Qualifying stage, La Liga is set to return, and Barcelona will look to maintain their place at the top of the standings, hosting a struggling Granada side.

Barcelona remains undefeated in the league so far, and they have several players on staggering form, whilst Granada hasn’t been able to perform as expected and they sit in the eight position with only 17 points after 13 matches.

Barcelona won’t have their star player, Lionel Messi, as he will be sidelined until January due to an injury, but they still have some of the best players in the world. Despite all the attention generated by superstar Neymar and all the praise that the midfield duo of Iniesta and Xavi receive constantly, it seems like there’s no player on a better form right now than Alexis Sánchez. The Chilean international has been on a tear this year and scored a brace against England on the past week, something he’ll look to repeat once the Liga returns.

Granada is a team that bases their play in team efforts, but they will depend on what the attacking pair of Piti and Riki can do offensively. They are clearly the underdogs in this game, but if their duo is on a good night, they could have chances to pull an upset.

Prediction: Barcelona 4-0 Granada

Los Blaugranas won’t have any trouble running through Granada, and after dominating from start to finish, this game could probably be settled by halftime.